Mobile is a monster.

Did you know that 2014 was the first year that we spent more time, per day, on our mobile devices than our desktops and laptops? (Source: Ad Age)

Mobile devices are now the first screen we check in the morning and the last screen we see before we sleep.

And for businesses, a mobile strategy is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must have.

One of my favorite Twitter accounts is Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar), and last year he published a SlideShare called “50 Incredible WiFi Stats Businesses Must Know.”

One slide always stands out every time I browse through his presentation:
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We check our phones 150 times a day? Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  (If you’re curious to discover how you compare that 150 benchmark, try downloading the Moment app).

Businesses Are Not Upping the Mobile Ante

Despite this massive shift in our attention, many businesses haven’t been able to keep up with the mobile trend and take advantage of the opportunity.

Many marketers have worked mobile campaigns into their overall budget and plan, but 54% are still not using any type of mobile marketing (Source: Salesforce).

There’s a huge disparity between the time being spent on our mobile devices and the amount of money spent by businesses to advertise on those devices.

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Turn Your Brick & Mortar into Brick and Mobile

With the attention of your current and future customers now primarily on their phones, the best way of reaching them is to empower them to use those devices.

If you want to start connecting with the foot traffic in your business, the key is to provide Wi-Fi.

Why Wi-Fi?

Because the people in your business are going to check their phones, especially if you own a place where they’re spending some time.

It may be to send a text, upload a picture to Facebook or Instagram, check an email, or perhaps even check your pricing against a competitor.

By providing Wi-Fi and making it easy to connect, you’re helping make their experience more enjoyable.

Wi-Fi is an Opportunity to Engage & Market to In-Store Customers

Customers expect Wi-Fi wherever they go, and feel it’s a convenience stores should offer not unlike free parking.

So don’t lock them out of your Wi-Fi by protecting it with a password, use it as an opportunity to engage your customer.

Every time a person connects to the Wi-Fi in your business, you have their attention: attention that you normally pay for and work for with your marketing dollars and time.

You can use that opportunity to convert your in-store audience into an audience for all those digital initiatives and social media profiles you work so hard to build.

Instead of an outdated, generic welcome page that isn’t responsive or optimized for mobile screens, consider solutions that can optimize your Wi-Fi network as an asset for your business.

In other words, create a more welcoming Wi-Fi experience.  Enable customers to connect to your Wi-Fi with their Facebook or Twitter account so there’s no passwords to remember.

And when they do, you can ask them to “like” your Facebook page, join your mailing list, download your free app, or whatever type of engagement you wish.

SocialSign.in is one company that provides such a service, and it’s one I’m proud to be a part of.  We help physical businesses transform guest Wi-Fi into their most powerful marketing channel.

The growth of mobile has created new opportunities for you to grow your business.  Seize them while you can.